Butterfly Wing Jewelry

Nature's genetic paintbrushes have turned out works of art made of hundreds of thousands of bilaterally-symmetrical butterfly and moth wings. Even in death, their mounted beauty can remain intact for centuries. In Funk and Wagnalls' Standard Dictionary of Folklore and Legend, it states that "to get a new dress all a girl need do is to catch a butterfly of the desired color and crush it between her teeth while muttering a magic formula." Or, if she's smart, she can buy one of the many real-life insect pieces collected by Trend de la Creme and forego the dress altogether.